Surnames from Nicknames

Đỗ Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Du, from Sino-Vietnamese 杜 (đỗ).

Doležal m Czech
Nickname for a lazy person, derived from the past participle of the Czech verb doležat "to lie down".

Doležalová f Czech
Feminine form of Doležal.

Dong Chinese
From Chinese 董 (dǒng) meaning "direct, supervise".

Donne Scottish, Irish
From Gaelic donn meaning "brown", a nickname for a person with brown hair.

Drago Italian
From a nickname meaning "dragon" in Italian.

Drake English
Derived from the Old Norse byname Draki or the Old English byname Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek δράκων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent".

Droit French
Means "right, straight" in French, a nickname for an upright person.

Du Chinese
From Chinese 杜 (dù) meaning "stop, prevent" or "birchleaf pear tree".

Dudek u & m Polish, Czech
Means "hoopoe (bird)" in Polish and Czech.

Dudková f Czech
Czech feminine form of Dudek.

Duerr German
Variant of Dürr.

Duke English
From the noble title, which was originally from Latin dux "leader". It was a nickname for a person who behaved like a duke, or who worked in a duke's household.

Dukes English
Patronymic form of Duke.

Dumbledore Literature
From the dialectal English word dumbledore meaning "bumblebee". It was used by J. K. Rowling for the headmaster of Hogwarts in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.

Dunkel German
Means "dark" in German.

Dunn English, Scottish, Irish
Derived from Old English dunn "dark" or Gaelic donn "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion.

Dunst German
Derived from Middle High German dunst "haze".

Durán Spanish
Spanish cognate of Durand.

Durand French, English
From Old French durant meaning "enduring", ultimately from Latin durans. This was a nickname for a stubborn person.

Durant English, French
Variation of Durand.

Durante Italian
Italian cognate of Durand.

Dürr German
Means "thin" in German.

Earl English
From the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English eorl meaning "nobleman, warrior". It was either a nickname for one who acted like an earl, or an occupational name for a person employed by an earl.

Earls English
Patronymic form of Earl.

Eglīte f Latvian
Feminine form of Eglītis.

Eglītis m Latvian
Derived from Latvian egle meaning "spruce tree".

El-Amin Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic الأمين (see Al-Amin).

Eld Swedish
From Old Norse eldr, modern Swedish eld, meaning "fire".

Elder English
Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.

English English
Denoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.

Erős Hungarian
Means "strong" in Hungarian.

Escarrà Spanish
Possibly from Catalan esquerrá meaning "left-handed".

Esposito Italian
Means "exposed" in Italian and denoted a child who was rescued after being abandoned by its parents.

Eszes Hungarian
Means "clever, bright" in Hungarian.

Expósito Spanish
Spanish cognate of Esposito.

Fairbairn Scottish, English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English and Scots.

Fairchild English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English.

Falco Italian
Derived from Italian falco "falcon". The name was used to denote a falconer or a person who resembled a falcon in some way.

Falk Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German
From Old Norse falki or Old High German falco meaning "falcon".

Falkenrath German
Derived from Middle High German falke "falcon" and rat "counsel, advice".

Falstaff Literature
The name of a buffoonish character, John Falstaff, appearing in four of William Shakespeare's plays. He is the central character in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602). Shakespeare probably adapted it from the surname of John Fastolf, a 15th-century knight. The medieval surname Fastolf, no longer in use, was derived from the Norse given name Fastúlfr.

Fan Chinese
From Chinese 范 (fàn) meaning "bee".

Farkas Hungarian
Means "wolf" in Hungarian.

Farran English
Derived from Old French ferrant meaning "iron grey".

Fay 2 English
From a nickname for a person who was thought to have magical qualities, from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted".

Fear English
Derived from Middle English feare meaning "friend, comrade".

Fehér Hungarian
Means "white" in Hungarian, originally referring to a person with white hair or complexion.

Fejes Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian fej meaning "head", originally a nickname applied to a stubborn person.

Fekete Hungarian
Means "black" in Hungarian, originally a nickname for a person with dark hair or a dark complexion.

Feng 2 Chinese
From Chinese 凤 (fèng) meaning "phoenix, fire bird, fenghuang".

Fertig German
Means "ready, prepared" in German.

Finch English, Literature
From the name of the bird, from Old English finc. It was used by Harper Lee for the surname of lawyer Atticus Finch and his children in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).

Fitzroy English
Means "son of the king" in Anglo-Norman French, from French roi meaning "king". This name has been bestowed upon illegitimate children of kings.

Fleming English
Given to a person who was a Fleming, that is a person who was from Flanders in the Netherlands.

Floros m Greek
From Greek φλώρος (floros) meaning "greenfinch", derived from classical Greek χλωρός (chloros) meaning "green".

Florou f Greek
Feminine form of Floros.

Flower English
From Middle English flour meaning "flower, blossom", derived from Old French flur, Latin flos. This was a nickname given to a sweet person. In other cases it could be a metonymic occupational name for a maker of flour (a word derived from the same source).

Flowers English
Variant of Flower.

Floyd Welsh
Variant of Lloyd.

Fodor Hungarian
From Hungarian fodor meaning "curly, wavy", referring to a person with curly or wavy hair.

Forsberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish fors meaning "waterfall" and berg meaning "mountain".

Fortuin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Fortune.

Fortune English
From Middle English, ultimately from Latin fortuna meaning "fortune, luck, chance". This was possibly a nickname for a gambler.

Fortuyn Dutch
Dutch cognate of Fortune.

Foster 4 English
Nickname given to a person who was a foster child or foster parent.

Foth Low German
From a nickname meaning "foot" in Low German.

Fox English
From the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.

Frank 2 English
From Old English franc meaning "free".

Freeman English
Referred to a person who was born free, or in other words was not a serf.

Frei German
Means "free" in German, probably referring to someone outside the feudal system.

French English
Originally denoted a French person, from Middle English Frensch, Old English Frencisc.

Freud German, Jewish
Means "joy" in German, a nickname for a cheerful person. A famous bearer was the psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).

Freund German
From Middle High German vriunt, modern German Freund meaning "friend".

Frisk Swedish
From Swedish frisk "healthy", which was derived from the Middle Low German word vrisch "fresh, young, frisky".

Fromm German
From a nickname derived from Middle High German vrume meaning "noble, honourable".

Frost English, German
From Old English and Old High German meaning "frost", a nickname for a person who had a cold personality or a white beard.

Fry English
From Old English frig (a variant of freo) meaning "free".

Frye English
Variant of Fry.

Fuchs German
From Old High German fuhs meaning "fox". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.

Fürst German
From a nickname meaning "(sovereign) prince" in German. The word fürst itself is derived from Old High German furisto "first".

Fusco Italian
From Italian fosco meaning "dark", from Latin fuscus. This was a nickname for a person with dark features.

Fux German
Variant of Fuchs.

Gagliardi Italian
From Italian gagliardo meaning "strong, vigorous".

Gagnon French
Derived from old French gagnon "guard dog". The name most likely originated as a nickname for an aggressive or cruel person.

Gajos Polish
Derived from Polish gaj meaning "grove, thicket".

Galani f Greek
Feminine form of Galanis.

Galanis m Greek
From Greek γαλανός (galanos) meaning "light blue".

Gale English
Derived from Middle English gaile meaning "jovial".

Gallardo Spanish
Means "gallant, elegant" in Spanish.

Galli Italian
Variant of Gallo, common in northern Italy.

Gallo Italian, Spanish
Means "rooster", ultimately from Latin gallus. This was a nickname for a proud person.

Gang Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 강 (see Kang).

Gao Chinese
From Chinese 高 (gāo) meaning "tall, high".

Garbo Italian
From a nickname meaning "politeness" in Italian. A famous bearer of this name was the Swedish actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990), born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson.

Garofalo Italian
From a nickname, from a southern variant of the Italian word garofano meaning "carnation".

Garrido Spanish
Means "elegant, ostentatious" in Spanish.

Garza Spanish
Derived from Spanish garza meaning "heron".

Gatti Italian
Means "cat" in Italian, originally a nickname for an agile person.

Geier German
Means "vulture" in German, a nickname for a greedy person.

Gentile Italian
From a nickname meaning "gentle, kind" in Italian.

Gim Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 김 (see Kim).

Gold English, German, Jewish
From Old English and Old High German gold meaning "gold", an occupational name for someone who worked with gold or a nickname for someone with yellow hair. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Goldhirsch Jewish
Means "golden stag" in Yiddish.

Golob Slovene
Means "pigeon" in Slovene.

Golub Croatian
Means "pigeon" in Croatian.

Good English
From a nickname meaning "good", referring to a kindly person.

Goode English
Variant of Good.

Goodman English
Variant of Good.

Gough 1 Welsh
Nickname for a red-haired person, from Welsh coch "red".

Grahn Swedish
From Swedish gran meaning "spruce".

Grant English, Scottish
Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great". A famous bearer was the American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).

Grassi Italian
Variant of Grasso.

Grasso Italian
Means "fat" in Italian, originally a nickname for a stout person. It is derived from Latin crassus.

Gray English
From a nickname for a person who had grey hair or grey clothes.

Grbić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Means "hunchback", derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene grba "hump".

Green English
Descriptive name for someone who often wore the colour green or someone who lived near the village green.

Greene English
Variant of Green.

Greenspan Jewish
Anglicized form of German Grünspan meaning "verdigris". Verdigris is the green-blue substance that forms on copper.

Grey English
Variant of Gray.

Griffin 2 English
Nickname from the mythological beast with body of a lion with head and wings of an eagle. It is ultimately from Greek γρύψ (gryps).

Grillo Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "cricket", perhaps given originally to a cheerful person (the cricket is associated with cheerfulness).

Grimm German
From a nickname for a stern person, derived from Old High German grim "stern, severe, angry". Famous bearers include Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), known for compiling German folktales.

Groen Dutch
Dutch cognate of Green.

Gronchi Italian
From the Tuscan word gronchio meaning "numb, bent". This is an Italian regional surname typical of Tuscany. A famous bearer was the Italian president Giovanni Gronchi (1887-1978).

Groos German
Variant of Groß.

Groot Dutch
Variant of De Groot.

Gros French
Means "thick, fat, big" in French, from Late Latin grossus, possibly of Germanic origin.

Gross German
Variant of Groß.

Groß German
From Old High German groz meaning "tall, big".

Große German
Variant of Groß.

Grosse German
Variant of Groß.

Größel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Großel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Großer German
Variant of Groß.

Grosser German
Variant of Groß.

Grossi Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Grosso Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Grósz Hungarian
Hungarian form of Groß.

Grünspan Jewish
Original form of Greenspan.

Guerra Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "war", given to a belligerent person or one engaged in warfare.

Gujić Bosnian
Means "son of a snake" from the Bosnian word guja meaning "snake".

Gully English
Nickname for a big person, from Middle English golias meaning "giant" (ultimately from Goliath, the Philistine warrior who was slain by David in the Old Testament).

Gump German (Rare), Popular Culture
Possibly from a nickname derived from Middle High German gumpen meaning "to hop, to jump". This surname was used by author Winston Groom for the hero of his novel Forrest Gump (1986), better known from the 1994 movie adaptation.

Gupta Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu
Means "protected" in Sanskrit.

Gutermuth German
Derived from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and muot meaning "mind, spirit". It was a nickname for an optimistic person.

Guttuso Italian
From a Sicilian nickname meaning "sad". It was name of the famous Italian painter Renato Guttuso (born 1912).

Gwerder German (Swiss)
From Swiss German gwerig meaning "agile, alert".

Haan Dutch
Variant of De Haan.

Haas Dutch, German
Variant of Hase.

Haase German
Variant of Hase.

Habich German
German cognate of Hawk.

Habicht German
German cognate of Hawk.

Hadjiev m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Хаджиев (see Hadzhiev).

Hadjieva f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Хаджиева (see Hadzhieva).

Hadzhiev m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian хаджия (hadzhiya) meaning "pilgrim", ultimately from Arabic حَجّ (hajj).

Hadzhieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Hadzhiev.

Hadžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hadž meaning "hajj, pilgrimage", ultimately derived from Arabic حَجّ (hajj). It originally denoted a person who had completed the hajj.

Haggard English
From a nickname meaning "wild, untamed, worn", from Old French, ultimately from a Germanic root.

Hahn German
From a nickname for a proud or pugnacious person, from Old High German hano meaning "rooster, cock".

Hardie Scottish
Scots variant of Hardy.

Hardy English, French
From Old French and Middle English hardi meaning "bold, daring, hardy", from the Germanic root *harduz.

Hart English
Means "male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.

Hase German
From Middle High German and Middle Low German hase meaning "hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.

Haupt German
German cognate of Head.

Hawk English
Originally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English hafoc "hawk".

Hawking English
From a diminutive of Hawk. A famous bearer was the British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018).

Hawkins English
From a diminutive of Hawk.

Head English
From Middle English hed meaning "head", from Old English heafod. It may have referred to a person who had a peculiar head, who lived near the head of a river or valley, or who served as the village headman.

Heeren Dutch
From Dutch heer "lord, master", a nickname for a person who acted like a lord or who worked for a lord.

Herceg Croatian
Croatian form of Herzog.

Herczeg Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Herczog Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Herrema Frisian
Frisian variant of Heeren.

Hersch German, Jewish
Variant of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Herschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2. A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.

Hertz German
Derived from Middle High German herze meaning "heart", a nickname for a big-hearted person.

Herzog German
From a German title meaning "duke", a nickname for a person who either acted like a duke or worked in a duke's household.

Hext English
From a nickname meaning "tallest" in Middle English. It is most common in the southwest of England in the county of Devon.

Hidalgo Spanish
Means "nobleman" in Spanish. The Spanish word is a contraction of the phrase hijo de algo meaning "son of something". This surname was typically in origin a nickname or an occupational name for one who worked in a noble's household.

Hier Welsh
Means "tall, long" from Welsh hir.

Hirsch 1 German
Means "deer, hart" in German. This was a nickname for a person who resembled a deer in some way, or who raised or hunted deer.

Hirschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Hjort Danish, Swedish
Danish and Swedish cognate of Hart.

Hlaváč m Czech
From a nickname for a person with an oddly-shaped head, derived from Czech hlava "head".

Hlaváček m Czech
Diminutive form of Hlaváč.

Hlaváčková f Czech
Feminine form of Hlaváček.

Hlaváčová f Czech
Feminine form of Hlaváč.

Hoàng Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Huang, from Sino-Vietnamese 黃 (hoàng).

Hoch German
Means "tall" in German.

Holguín Spanish
Possibly from Spanish holgar "to rest, to enjoy oneself".

Holub m & u Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian
Means "dove, pigeon" in Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian.

Holubová f Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak feminine form of Holub.

Hood English
Metonymic occupational name for a maker of hoods or a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hood, from Old English hod.

Hopper English
Occupational name for an acrobat or a nickname for someone who was nervous or restless. A famous bearer was the American actor Dennis Hopper (1936-2010).

Horváth u & m Hungarian, Slovak
Hungarian and Slovak form of Horvat. This is the second most common surname in Hungary and the most common surname in Slovakia (where is is typically borne by those of Hungarian ancestry).

Horváthová f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Horváth.

Horvatinčić Croatian
Patronymic derived from Horvat.

Hoxha Albanian
From the Persian title خواجه (khvajeh) meaning "lord".

Hrabě m Czech
Means "count" in Czech, perhaps used to denote someone who worked for a count or acted like a count.

Hrabětová f Czech
Feminine form of Hrabě.

Hrubá f Czech
Feminine form of Hrubý.

Hrubý m Czech
Means "crude, coarse" in Czech.

Huang Chinese
From Chinese 黄 (huáng) meaning "yellow".

Hudák m Slovak
From Slovak chudák meaning "pauper, poor person".

Hudáková f Slovak
Feminine form of Hudák.

Hummel 2 German, Dutch
Nickname for a busy person, from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch hommel, Middle High German hummel, all meaning "bee".

Huỳnh Vietnamese
Variant of Hoàng used more often in southern Vietnam.

I Korean
Variant of Lee 2.

Ihejirika Igbo
Means "the one that I have is greater" in Igbo.

Ilves Estonian
Means "lynx" in Estonian.

Inaba Japanese
From Japanese 稲 (ina) meaning "rice plant" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf".

Innocenti Italian
From a nickname meaning "innocent" in Italian.

Ito Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 伊藤 (see Itō).

Itō Japanese
From Japanese 伊 (i) meaning "this" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

Itou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 伊藤 (see Itō).

Iyer Tamil
Referred to a person belonging to the Iyer subcaste of the larger Brahmin caste. The Iyer subcaste is traditionally devoted to the God Vishnu.

Jagoda Polish
Means "berry" in Polish.

Jahoda m Czech
Czech cognate of Jagoda.

Jahodová f Czech
Feminine form of Jahoda.

Jain Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Referred to a person who followed the principles of Jainism, a religion practiced in India. Jains are the followers of Lord Mahavira (599-527 BC).

Janvier French
Either from the given name Janvier or the French word janvier meaning "January", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.

Jedynak Polish
Means "only child" in Polish.

Jelen m & u Czech, Slovene
From a nickname meaning "stag" in Czech and Slovene.

Jeleń Polish
Polish form of Jelen.

Jelenová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Jelen.

Jelínek m Czech
Diminutive of Jelen.

Jelínková f Czech
Feminine form of Jelínek.

Jež u & m Slovene, Czech
Cognate of Jeż.

Jeż Polish
Means "hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.

Ježek m Czech
Diminutive form of Jež.

Ježková f Czech
Czech feminine form of Ježek.

Ježová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Jež.

Jiang 2 Chinese
From Chinese 姜 (jiāng) meaning "ginger".

Jó Hungarian
Means "good" in Hungarian.

Joly French
From Old French joli meaning "happy, jolly, pretty".

Joó Hungarian
Variant of Jó.

Jung 1 German
Means "young" in German, from Middle High German junc.

Junge German
Variant of Jung 1.

Kaczka Polish
Means "duck" in Polish.

Kafka m Czech
Derived from Czech kavka meaning "jackdaw". A notable bearer was the author Franz Kafka (1883-1924).

Kafková f Czech
Feminine form of Kafka.

Kahler German
From a nickname derived from German kahl meaning "bald".

Kaiser German
From Middle High German keiser meaning "emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name Caesar.

Kaneko Japanese
From Japanese 金 (kane) meaning "gold, metal, money" and 子 (ko) meaning "child".

Kang Korean
Korean form of Jiang 2, from Sino-Korean 姜 (gang).

Karga Turkish
Nickname meaning "crow" in Turkish.

Kārkliņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Kārkliņš.

Kārkliņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian kārkls meaning "osier, willow".

Karppinen Finnish
From Finnish karppi meaning "carp", of Germanic origin.

Kartal Turkish
From a nickname meaning "eagle" in Turkish.

Kasun Croatian
Possibly derived from the old Slavic word kazati meaning "to order, to command".

Kato Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 加藤 (see Katō).

Katō Japanese
From Japanese 加 (ka) meaning "add, increase" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The latter character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

Katou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 加藤 (see Katō).

Katsaros m Greek
Means "curly" in Greek, referring to a person with curly hair.

Katsarou f Greek
Feminine form of Katsaros.

Katz Jewish
Derived from Hebrew כֹּהֵן צֶדֶק (kohen tzedek) meaning "priest of justice", indicating a descendant of Aaron.

Kaur Indian (Sikh)
Means "princess", ultimately from Sanskrit कुमारी (kumari) meaning "girl". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh female followers the surname Kaur and all males Singh. In many instances, it is also used as a middle name with the family name serving as the surname.

Kawa Polish
Derived from Polish kawka "jackdaw".

Kazama Japanese
From Japanese 風 (kaza) meaning "wind, style" and 間 (ma) meaning "among, between".

Kedves Hungarian
Means "nice, kind" in Hungarian.

Kędzierska f Polish
Feminine form of Kędzierski.

Kędzierski m Polish
From a nickname meaning "curly", describing a person with curly hair.

Keen English
From Old English cene meaning "bold, brave".

Kemény Hungarian
Means "firm, hard, tough" in Hungarian.

Kemp English
Derived from Middle English kempe meaning "champion, warrior".

Kempf German
German cognate of Kemp.

Kenyatta Kikuyu
From kinyata, the name of a type of ornamental belt worn by the Maasai. This was the surname of the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978). He adopted the surname in his youth.

Khan Urdu, Pashto, Bengali
From a title meaning "king, ruler", probably of Mongolian origin but used in many languages.

Kidd English
From a nickname meaning "young goat, kid" in Middle English, of Old Norse origin.

Kijek Polish
Means "small stick", from Polish kij "stick".

Kikkert Dutch
Derived from Dutch kikker meaning "frog".

Kilduff Irish
From the Irish Mac Giolla Dhuibh meaning "son of the black-haired man".

Kim Korean
Korean form of Jin, from Sino-Korean 金 (gim) meaning "gold". This is the most common surname in South Korea.

King English
From Old English cyning "king", originally a nickname for someone who either acted in a kingly manner or who worked for or was otherwise associated with a king. A famous bearer was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).

Király Hungarian
Means "king" in Hungarian, of Slavic origin (a cognate of Król).

Kis Hungarian
Variant of Kiss.

Kiss Hungarian
Nickname meaning "small" in Hungarian.

Klein German, Dutch, Jewish
Means "small, little" from German klein or Yiddish kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).

Kloet Dutch
Possibly from Middle Dutch cloet meaning "lump, ball". In some cases this was a nickname for an oafish person. In other cases it may have been a name for someone who lived near a sign that had a globe on it.

Kloeten Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Klossner German
Derived from German Klausner, Middle High German klosenære meaning "hermit".

Kneller German
Originally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".

Knežević Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of Serbo-Croatian knez meaning "prince" (ultimately of Germanic origin).

Ko Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Hokkien)
Cantonese and Min Nan romanization of Gao.

Kóbor Hungarian
From Hungarian kóbor meaning "wanderer, ranger".

Koç Turkish
Means "ram" in Turkish.

Koenig German
German cognate of King.

Koenigsmann German
Variant of Königsmann.

Köhl German
Variant of Kohl.

Kohl German
Derived from Middle High German kol "cabbage".

Kohout m Czech
Czech cognate of Kohut.

Kohoutová f Czech
Feminine form of Kohout.

Kohut Ukrainian, Polish
Means "rooster" in Ukrainian and Polish, a nickname for a proud person.

Kokkinos m Greek
From a nickname meaning "red" in Greek.

Kokkinou f Greek
Feminine form of Kokkinos.

Kokot Slovene, Croatian
Slovene and Croatian cognate of Kohut.

Konečná f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Konečný.

Konečný m Czech, Slovak
Means "final, last" in Czech and Slovak, perhaps a nickname for the youngest son of a family or a topographic name for someone who lived at the end of a settlement.